Have you ever thought about the anatomy of your teeth – what is under the surface? Teeth are used for breaking down food, preparing for swallowing and digestion, but what are they made of?

Surprisingly your teeth are not considered a bone in the human body. Most of a tooth is made up of dentin, a calcified tissue of the body, layered underneath the enamel, the outermost layer of the tooth. Enamel is the hardest, most mineralized tissue in the body.

The root is the part of the dentin that is embedded in bone and helps hold the tooth in place. Roots are beneath the gumline, where the tooth and gums meet. Inside the very center of a tooth is the pulp, a soft tissue where nerve tissues and blood vessels are.

Every tooth has a specific function and there are 4 types of different teeth:

  • Incisors – used for cutting food
  • Canines – used for tearing food
  • Premolars (also known as bicuspids) – used for crushing and tearing food
  • Molars – used for grinding food

Source: Colgate Professional
http://www.colgateprofessional.com/patient-education/articles/tooth-anatomy

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Categoryanatomy, science, teeth

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